Christmas with the Cullens
by theyHAUNTme
Summary: With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family. Edward/Bella
1. Chapter 1

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

I was in the kitchen working on Physics homework with Edward. We only had tomorrow left of school until Christmas break, but unfortunately, our Physics teacher decided to give us a test. We then heard the front door slam loudly. Charlie was home. I looked up at Edward with a cocked eyebrow; Charlie had never slammed the door before. Edward mouthed the word 'work' before Charlie appeared in the kitchen.

"Hey Dad!" I greeted with a smile.

He smiled as well, but it was obviously forced, as he said, "Hey, Bells! What are you two working on?"

"Physics," I answered.

Charlie visibly shuddered at the reminder of Physics. He had hated that subject. To get it off his mind, I asked, "How was work?"

Charlie shrugged. He then sighed and said, "Bella, I've got to work during Christmas. There was a mass murder in Oregon...they're sending me and a few other guys down to help the police down there. I'm so sorry, honey, but there's just no way I can get out of this one."

"Dad, it's fine. I'll just–"

"No, it's _not_ fine!" he said angrily. "I'm leaving you here _alone_ on Christmas. What kind of father does that make me?"

"A great one," I said, standing up to go hug him. "Don't worry about me, Dad...I'll be fine."

Edward then stood up and offered a solution.

"Sir, if it's alright with you, Bella can stay over at my house while you're gone," Edward said. "My family would love to have her there. That way she won't be alone."

"I don't see any harm in it," Charlie said, much to my delight. "As long as your folks don't mind it."

Edward smiled his adorable grin and said, "Well, I can call them right now just to make sure, but I'm positive they won't mind."

As he spoke, he took his little silver cell phone from his pocket and excused himself from the room. A few moments later, he reemerged, holding the cell phone to his shoulder to muffle the sound of his question. I, however, knew that whoever he was talking to would hear the question and the answer.

"When do you leave and when are you coming back?"

Charlie looked at him sheepishly and answered, "Tomorrow morning...if you could take her to your house after school, that would be great. Sorry about the short notice. And I'll be gone for about a week...maybe longer. It all depends on what happens in Oregon."

Edward smiled and stepped back out into the hallway to resume his conversation. I smiled timidly up at Charlie and then began rummaging around the kitchen to prepare a nice dinner for him. I gathered a few chicken breasts from the refrigerator and popped them into the oven to begin cooking. They would take about an hour, so we still had some time left to study.

"Our family would be glad to have Bella over for Christmas," Edward said, startling me. I hadn't realized he had walked fluidly back into the kitchen.

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as he thanked Edward. Edward assured him it was no problem before returning to sit next to me. Although we both were confident about the test we would need to take tomorrow, we still pretended to study. It gave us an excuse to sit closer than what Charlie would usually allow. Edward rattled off a series of formulas for me to work through. After thinking through them, I offered up my answers, all of them correct. We then switched and I asked the questions and he answered. However, when Charlie left the kitchen to turn on some football game, we abruptly stopped the façade and began talking about things completely different from school.

"Well, this little thing with Charlie was definitely a help," Edward said. At my confused glance, he continued, "I was trying to think up of a way to allow you to spend part of Christmas break at my house. Now I don't need to conjure up some random story and beg."

I smiled and shook my head. He smiled his crooked little grin and covered my hand with his. I had grown accustom to having his icy cold fingers touch mine, but I still couldn't control the electricity that seemed to shock us both. My heart beat increased a few paces, and this didn't go unnoticed by Edward. His mouth lifted up into his crooked grin I adored so much. He moved his chair silently closer to me so he could wrap his arm around my waist. I leaned in closer to rest against his cold, hard chest. We stayed there like that, pretending to study silently. But I knew he was listening to my even breathing, the beating of my heart, and for any sound that would alert him that Charlie would be entering the kitchen.

But Charlie never came in to disturb us. The oven did a well enough job of that. Just as I was beginning to get comfortable, the oven timer chimed.

"Damn!" I growled, forgetting that I had had chicken in the oven. I had also completely forgotten to make a side dish. I jumped up from the chair to turn the oven down a few degrees so the chicken wouldn't burn, but so that it would remain warm. I then grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese from the cupboard and a package of broccoli from the freezer. I quickly began whipping up the side dishes, Edward helping me as well. Within fifteen minutes, I had dished out a steaming hot plate for Charlie.

"Well, I'd better go," Edward said.

My heart dropped. I didn't want him to leave. He must have sensed that, for he said softly, "Love, I'll only be gone for a little while. I'll meet you up in your room within the hour."

I sighed, but allowed him to leave. He leaned down to kiss my jaw and he stroked my cheek lightly. My skin tingled where his fingers touched. And then he was gone. I sighed, but then Charlie walked into the kitchen. We both sat down and began to eat our dinner. I wasn't fully tasting the meal...I just wanted to finish it so I could excuse myself to my room, where I knew Edward would be waiting. My throat and tongue were getting scorched, but to relieve the burn, I chugged my ice-cold milk.

Once my plate was clear of the food, I washed it in the sink. I put it away in a cabinet and asked if I could excuse myself.

"Of course, Bella," Charlie said. "I'm sure you still need to study."

I smiled at him and rushed up to my room. As I had predicted, Edward was already in my room. He was lying on my bed, listening softly to a classical CD he had found in my room. He sat up when I entered and smiled at me. My heart fluttered as I smiled back. I rushed over to him and hopped into his awaiting arms. I snuggled deep into his cold, hard, chest. I tucked my head under his jaw and just held him. He was rocking me slowly, soothingly, as we listened to the soft music.

I don't know quite how long we had been sitting there, but Edward stiffened awhile later and untangled me from his arms. I must have looked hurt, because he looked at me apologetically. He then hissed, "Pretend to be studying."

I scrambled for my text book and worksheet and pretended to be memorizing the different formulas. Edward disappeared from the room. A light knock sounded on the door. I allowed Charlie to enter, and he peered into my room. He gazed at all of my books and said, "Still studying? Bella, you know it's almost eleven o'clock."

I glanced at my alarm clock on my nightstand. So it _was_ almost eleven. Time had passed so quickly while I was lying in Edward's arms. Trying not to blush, I lied, "I'm almost done...I'm sure I'll know everything for tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will too, sweetheart," he said, smiling. "Goodnight."

I smiled back. I began to pack up my things as Charlie shut the door and went to bed himself. Edward appeared at my side a moment later and helped me shove my belongings into my backpack. Afterwards, I crept to my bathroom to change into my pajama pants and a tank top. When I returned to my room, Edward was still sitting on my bed. I crawled onto the firm mattress under the sheets. He lay down beside me over top of the sheets so his body wouldn't cause me to freeze to death while I slept. As usual whenever he stayed the night, he hummed softly into my ear the lullaby he had composed for me. Within minutes, I was sound asleep.

--

This school day just wouldn't seem to go by fast enough. I kept glancing at the clock every few minutes, but it hadn't seemed to move. The last period of the day – Physics, for Edward and me – finally rolled around. Edward breezed through the test in minutes, whereas it took me half the period. We were still one of the first students done, so I just sat my head on my arms and just stared at Edward. He was the most beautiful person I had ever set eyes on. But then again, he _wasn't_ a person.

The bell indicating that the day was over finally sounded and the whole class jumped out of their seats. Our teacher told us to have a Merry Christmas from his seat behind his desk, not looking up. While the rest of the class rushed around, hustling and bustling to get out as fast as they could, Edward and I took our time gathering our belongings. We met up with Alice in the parking lot by Edwards Volvo. He drove me home so I could get a change of clothes and other toiletries before we went to his house. As soon as I stepped through the doorway to the Cullen house, I was met with Esme's arms. I was wrapped up into her embrace as she whispered, "Merry Christmas Bella...we're so glad to have you here!"

I grinned at her and said, "I'm glad it worked out so I could be here."

"What do you want for your Christmas dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah Bella," Alice said. "We can make turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, crescent rolls, _pies_!"

I furrowed my brow. I knew food repulsed them, so I didn't want them to go through any trouble just for me. I was their _guest_ for crying out loud...they shouldn't be fussing over me.

"Really, don't go through any trouble..."

Alice just rolled her eyes and said, "Bella, it's seriously _no_ trouble...we'll finally have a reason to use our kitchen for once! Besides, we're not going to allow you to have your Christmas feast at some fast-food joint."

I smiled and thanked them silently. I must have been blushing furiously because Edward chuckled. Not to mention my cheeks were on fire. Esme smiled and reassured me that it was no trouble and that they'd gladly make me any food my little heart desired.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," I said politely.

I suddenly heard Emmett thundering down the stairs, yelling, "IT'S SNOWING!"

Alice chuckled and said, "Yes, Emmett, I told you it would. We're going to be getting quite a lot...about six inches. When was the last time you had a white Christmas, Bella?"

"Not in awhile," I answered. "It doesn't snow much in Phoenix. The last time I was here for Christmas I was a small child and can't remember hardly anything."

Edward grinned and said, "Wait until Emmett starts a snowball fight. When he does, you may want to stay inside. He tends to throw harder than necessary...and he loves to aim for people's heads. But Emmett won't dare throw any at you..._right_?"

I saw Edward give Emmett and pointed glare, but Emmett just laughed it off. His booming laughter echoed as he playfully shoved Edward. Edward stepped away from my side to tackle his bear of a brother to the ground. Esme sighed and shook her head, muttering, "Boys."

I couldn't help but grin when Jasper entered the room and joined in the fight. Alice looked at Esme eagerly, as if asking for permission, and at her nod, joined in with the boys. I chuckled at the scene. So far, it looked as if this would be the best Christmas of my life.

* * *

**A/N 2:** So, how did I do for my first attempt at writing a Twilight story? If it sucked, tell me and I'll try to fix the next chapter. The next chapter will be more exciting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 2  
**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible. This was beta read by **Tommys My 21**.

* * *

After the little pretend fight, Alice and Edward eagerly showed me to my room. My room was technically Edward's room. A bed now sat in the corner of his room. I blushed as I said, "You know, you didn't have to do this. The couch would've–"

"The couch," interrupted Edward, "is a sign of poor hospitality. I will NOT allow you to sleep on the couch! Besides, it's WAY more comfortable than the couch I had in here before, so I actually use it more than I used to."

I bit my lip and asked, "So, what did you do with the old couch? Throw it out?"

"No, of course not, silly," Alice giggled. "He gave it to me! But never mind that, I want to take you shopping! I know you still haven't gotten any of us a gift yet. I know you want to, but you really don't need to give us anything."

I grimaced. I really hadn't gotten them anything. Although I really didn't want to go shopping, I really wanted to get something for the Cullen family. Plus, Alice would know exactly what each member of the Cullen family would want. So, grudgingly, I agreed to go shopping with her. Edward struggled to contain his smile as Alice pulled me back down the stairs and to the garage. She hopping into the front seat of Edward's Volvo, and I crawled into the passenger's seat.

When we got to the mall in Seattle – it hadn't taken all that long – I was surprised to find it nearly empty. I guess there weren't many last-minute shoppers. Alice dragged me through the mall until we reached a clothing store. Alice pulled me in as she said, "Rosalie's been _dying_ to get a new outfit. She pretty much thought it through in her head. I'll help you pick it out."

"Alice, I don't even know her size!"

Alice grinned smugly as she told me, "Well _you_ might not, but _I_ do!"

I grinned and rolled my eyes. Of course she would know! Alice pulled me along to a rack of blouses. She helped me scour the rack to find the perfect shirt for Rosalie. My eyes landed on a deep, scarlet, long-sleeved, V-neck blouse. The designs on the shirt were butterflies, with the trails of them looking like dashes throughout the shirt. This shirt definitely screamed "Rosalie!" to me, so I picked it off the rack.

"Perfect...very similar to what Rose wanted!" Alice murmured, dragging me towards the jeans section. "Rosalie also wanted a new pair of jeans...tight ones so she can show off her butt."

I smiled, and Alice and I got to work. We scoured the rack to find out a pair of jeans that Rosalie would want. I finally found a pair of light blue, low-rise jeans with a trail of sparkles weaving down the outside of the legs. I showed it to Alice, and looked ahead to the future. She grinned and nodded.

"Come on, time to pay," Alice said. "I know the owner, so we can get a good discount on these items."

She pulled me towards the cash registers at the front of the store. Alice went up to a young, cute teenager. He was about my age, and seemed to stop breathing when Alice walked up to him. She requested to see the manager – in her most convincing, sweet voice – as she batted her eyelashes at him. He flushed a bright red as he disappeared. He reappeared moments later with an irritated middle-aged man.

"For God's sake Henry, if this is a joke, I swear I will..." he stopped ranting as soon as his eyes landed on Alice. He brightened and said, "Alice, lovely to see you again. And who is this beautiful young lady?"

I flushed as Alice said, "Hey Mark...this is Bella. We have some items we'd like to purchase."

"Of course, of course," he said jovially.

He got behind the register where Henry was standing and rung up our items. All together, they were $59.62, but we got fifty percent off – Alice just winked when I asked her what the discount was for – so the total was only $29.81. I paid the amount and we walked into a different store. Alice was still dragging me around the mall.

"Emmett and Jasper would _love_ to have a nice room for them to wrestle in!" she gushed. "This next gift will be from both of us. You and I are going to hire someone to transform our spare room in the basement into a padded room for wrestling. Oh, I also know the manager who owns a company to finish the job."

"How do you know all of these people?" I asked, amazed.

She just grinned and continued to skip to the next store. It was a refurnishing supply store. Alice skipped up to an attendant and, dazzling the poor boy, again asked for the manager. The boy went to get the manager. A young man walked towards us and grinned.

"Alice, what can I do for you?"

Alice smiled warmly and asked, "Do you think you could be free tomorrow afternoon to help put together a padded room?"

"What, did Emmett finally loose his mind?" the manager joked.

"I wish...no, Bella and I would like a nice, padded room for Emmett to wrestle in," Alice said.

"Of course...I'll be by at 2. Does that work for you?"

Alice nodded and said, "Sure thing...thanks Tim!"

Tim walked away and Alice pulled me into a different store to get something for another Cullen.

--

It took three excruciatingly long hours for me to get my shopping done. Alice was talking constantly and was telling me that she didn't want anything for Christmas. She would add her name to the wrestling room gift.

"So, have fun?" she asked as we pulled into the Cullen's garage.

I nodded and told her I did. It actually _was_ fun. We walked into the house with the gifts and up to her room. Jasper lying on Edward's old couch, waiting for Alice to return. However, she kicked him out so we could wrap everyone's gifts. Jasper sighed and rolled his eyes as he left the room.

--

I woke up on Christmas Eve morning to find Edward staring at me. His usually golden eyes were almost black with thirst. I sighed and said, "You really need to go hunt. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," I added at his expression. "Besides, Alice and I still have some stuff to do."

"Exactly, so get your butt moving!"

I jumped as my head whipped around to face the door. Alice was leaning against the door frame, looking smug.

"Hi Bella!" she greeted. "Edward, go hunting. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper are all going. And Carlisle and Esme are going to the store to pick up food for tomorrow later this afternoon. It'll be really boring...just girl stuff."

Edward rolled his eyes, and then leaned down to kiss me. He promised to be back as soon as he could before taking off. Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Sheesh, over protective much?"

"Yeah, well, I'd rather him care too much than not at all," I said defensively.

"I guess," she said. "You go get a shower, and then I'll take you to breakfast with Carlisle and Esme. Don't even complain...they _want_ to take you!"

I sighed as I realized she was right and stalked off to get a shower. After I was clean, I walked downstairs, and managed to trip over my own two feet. I fell into the wall with a loud thud and Alice, Esme, and Carlisle were by my side in an instant.

"Bella, are you okay?" Esme asked, concern coating her velvety voice.

"Fine," I mumbled, embarrassed. "I guess my own two feet are a hazard to me now."

Alice smiled and said, "Okay, Bella, you must be starving, let's go eat!"

--

Breakfast went smoother than I'd expected. Of course, the waiter was rendered speechless by the beauty of Alice and Esme, and the young women all had their heads turned to Carlisle. However, none of the Cullens paid attention to anybody else.

After breakfast, Alice and I began to clean out the room we were changing into a wrestling room while Carlisle and Esme went to get food for me tomorrow. As we cleaned, I asked Alice if Carlisle and Esme would be mad that we were changing the room into a padded cell.

Alice chuckled as she said, "If you say it like that, we can just throw Edward in here so that the voices in his head will go away!"

"Ha ha!" I said dryly.

"But in all seriousness, they really won't mind," she said. "They'll like the fact that Emmett won't break anything else."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I asked, "What has he broken so far?"

"Just a table, a chair, and a TV," she said as if they were inexpensive. "Oh, and he managed to run into a wall, putting a huge hole into it."

I shook my head. Yep, that sounded like Emmett. As we were cleaning, Alice began to climb the stairs towards the main floor. The doorbell rang a moment later. I walked upstairs and saw a truck out in the driveway. A few men, plus Tim the manager, were unloading sheets and sheets of padding for the walls and a soft, plush carpet for the floor. All of it was rolled up, but it still looked like it would cost a large sum of money.

Within an hour, the room was set up the way Alice wanted it. She paid most of the fare, but I paid what she would allow me. She then put a note on the door that warned the family not to enter the room and she put a big bow next to the note.

"Well, that didn't take as long as I expected it to take," Alice said. "Do you want to go out in the snow?"

Me plus snow equaled a trip to the emergency room. I would either fall down in the snow, or get frostbit. I told Alice my reasons, but she just laughed it off and tossed me a parka. The sun was hidden behind thick, gray clouds. Snow blanketed the ground, and snow was still falling. I sighed as I pulled on my parka and a pair of snow boots. Alice waited for me in a pair of old jeans and an old sweatshirt, not that she would need it.

"Ready?" she said eagerly. "I've never made a snowman before!"

"Neither have I," I admitted.

Alice smiled and said, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

I couldn't refuse her. She looked so eager...like a little kid. I rolled my eyes and walked outside. The snow easily stuck together, which made it so much easier to build the snowman. When Alice said she wanted to make a snowman, I figured it would be a small, average-sized one. But when she showed me the bottom of it, my jaw couldn't help my but drop open. It was huge! It was almost as tall as my chest! I then looked at the ball I had started. It was about the size of my head. I decided to add more snow to it, and that it could be the head of our snow man once Alice finished the torso.

The torso was abnormally big as well, but Alice was having so much fun. After she added the torso, I handed her the head and she set it on top. It was an amazing snow man. Every piece of him was perfectly rounded into a perfect sphere. Alice and I then added a face to out snowman and a scarf.

"Perfect!" Alice said, stepping back to examine our work. "He's amazing! Oh, and you may want to duck."

I looked at her in confusion. I then felt something hard and cold hit my back. I whipped around to see Emmett grinning as he scooped up more snow to throw.

"Told you," Alice said, coming to stand next to me.

She scooped up some snow and threw it at Emmett. It hit him square in the face. I giggled as Emmett aimed some at her, but she dodged it gracefully.

"Aww, no fair!" he whined. "You _always_ cheat!"

Alice just smiled and picked up another ball of snow. She hurled it in their general direction, and it hit Edward's head. He laughed, snow dampening his bronze hair. He gathered some snow to throw at Alice, but she dodged it.

"Come on, Bella," Alice urged. "It's really fun!"

Grinning, I scooped up some snow and flung it at Jasper. Somehow he caught it and flung it back. It hit my stomach and exploded. There must have been some ice chunks in it because it stung. Or perhaps it was because all of the Cullens could throw them at unnaturally fast speed.

"Easy, Jasper," Alice said. "You know Bella's more fragile than the rest of us."

Jasper was at my side in an instant, apologizing.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I-"

I smiled warmly and said, "Don't worry about it. It didn't hurt that much."

I then scooped up some snow and just rubbed it into his hair. His smiled and resumed throwing the snow at his family. I scooped some up and looked at the ball in my hand. Who to throw it at? Alice would see it, Jasper would catch it, Emmett would fling some at me, Rosalie would get mad, and Edward would dodge it. I aimed to throw it at Edward, but it somehow hit Alice.

"Bella, I thought you were on my team!" she said, whipping around to face me.

"Sorry," I called. "I was aiming for Edward. I missed."

"Obviously."

I smiled and just watched the snowball fight around me. They looked so excited. Except for Rosalie, of course, but she always looked like there was a smirk permanently etched onto her face.

"Okay, kids, you've been out here long enough," Carlisle said. "It's dark."

I looked around. It _was_ dark! Someone had turned on the outside light so we could still resume our snowball fight without me realizing it. Emmett groaned before he trudged inside. I smiled as I followed everyone inside. I peeled off my soaked parka and my boots. My pants were a little wet, but they'd dry. My cheeks, ears, and nose stung as they thawed out. I walked up to Edward and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"How was hunting?" I asked him, snuggling into his embrace.

He shrugged. I rested my head against his hard shoulder. My eyes began to droop. It was only seven o'clock and I was exhausted. I guess today's activities completely wore me out. Edward saw my eyes straining to stay open and he murmured, "Sleep, my love."

I sighed and curled myself into his body. I scooted onto his lap and nestled my head under his jaw. He hummed to me softly my lullaby and stroked my hair soothingly. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

* * *

**A/N 2:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it! Please review to let me know what you thought, good or bad. Once again, this was beta read by **Tommys My 21**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible. Beta read by **Tommys My 21**.

* * *

"It's already 6 o'clock and we _still_ haven't opened our presents!" I heard Emmett complain the following morning. "How much longer can she sleep? We've _never_ waited this long before!"

My eyes were still closed, but I could hear every word. They assumed I was still sleeping. If Emmett thought that six o'clock was late, when did they usually open Christmas presents? I then realized that without the need of sleep, they probably could open gifts a few minutes after midnight. Deciding not to torture Emmett any longer, I groaned and began to move.

"Finally!" I heard him mumbled.

"Well, some of us actually need sleep," I muttered. "When do you usually open presents? Midnight?"

Emmett grinned and said, "Nope...twelve-oh-one!"

I rolled my eyes and sat up. I was no longer in the living room, so Edward must've carried me up to his room at some point during the night. As I sat up, the exposed skin of my arm met something icy cold. I shivered and heard a soft murmur of an apology.

"Bella, why don't you get a shower and get freshened up?" Esme suggested softly. "Emmett has waited this long...I'm sure he can wait another half hour or so."

Grumbling, Emmett walked from the room, dejected. Esme shot me an apologetic smile and a shrug. She, too, left the room after Emmett. Edward stroked my cheek softly and murmured, "Merry Christmas, love. Did Emmett wake you? I swear to God I'll throw him through the wall."

I smiled and said, "I'd love to see that."

I squirmed into his arms and kissed his icy lips. I pulled back, murmuring, "Merry Christmas."

I then scooted off of him and trudged towards the bathroom with a set of clothes.

An hour later, I was walking down the spiral staircase and into the living room area. I was careful not to trip over anything this time. As I entered the room where the Cullens all waited, I gasped at what I saw. There was a huge tree in the corner of the room, decorated to perfection. Mistletoe hung from random places on the ceiling throughout the house. Underneath the tree, a mountain of perfectly-wrapped, colorful packages sat. In all my eighteen years of existence, I'd never seen so many presents at one time.

"Do you like it?" Alice demanded.

Of course the decorations were put up at her demand. I smiled. It all looked so...so _perfect_. Like it was out of some strange Christmas story. Lights and garland not only adorned the magnificent tree, but also the ceiling of the huge room. No doubt that she'd done this while I'd been sleeping.

"So, what do you think?"

"Alice, it's perfect!" I breathed out. It really was. Leave it to Alice to transform an ordinary living room into something from a fairytale. Alice visibly let out the breath she'd been holding unnecessarily.

"Great...present time!" she sang.

The Cullens all walked fluidly to the tree and sat down on the floor. Each Cullen curled up beside their respective partner. Carlisle and Esme showed very little affection – deciding to just sit side by side while holding hands – whereas Emmett and Rosalie's love was obvious. Rosalie was situated in Emmett's lap and he had his strong arms wrapped around her thin frame. Rosalie tilted her head up and captured Emmett's lips in her own, crushing herself to him. Jasper had his legs spread open and Alice settled her tiny frame between his legs and was leaning against his chest.

"C'mon Bella," Edward whispered in my ear, guiding me to the floor.

Edward sat down cross-legged and gently pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his arms lightly around my fragile frame and rested his cold, hard jaw on the top of my head. I managed to weave my fingers into his and I sat there, fully comfortable.

"Guests first," Esme said while Carlisle reached over to grab a rather large gift.

I blushed as I accepted the package. I read the _To/From_ tag, noticing it was from Esme and Carlisle. I carefully edged my finger under the opening in the paper and started ripping off the paper. It was a box, fairly light given its enormous size. I gasped when I read the name on the box. It was _Rock Band_ for the Wii. First off, it was way too expensive, and I didn't have a Wii. As if they could read my thoughts – or perhaps my expression gave me away, who knows? – Carlisle said, "I know you don't have a Wii, but we do. We're going to keep it here, so whenever you come over you can play it instead of watching the rest of the family wrestle or do whatever else they can come up with."

"Thanks," I mumbled. "Thank you very much."

My face was burning bright red, I knew it. To make it worse, I was supposed to pick who go their gift next, according to Edward's murmur in my ear. Emmett was just about bouncing with excitement. I look up at Edward. He just smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Emmett," I sighed.

"Ha, I _knew_ you loved me the most!"

"Go on and open one before you give yourself a heart attack," I laughed.

"You know that's impossible, right?"

I snorted. "Yeah, but the way you're acting, you'd manage it."

He grinned from ear to ear as I tossed him a package that had his name scrawled across it sloppily. It was from Edward and Jasper. He tore the paper off with such vigor I could barely see his hands anymore. As soon as he got the paper open and looked at the box, the whole room roared with laughter, including me. I'm sure if he could've blushed, Emmett would've been bright red. He held a full box of condoms in his hand.

"We just wanted to make sure you and Rose are safe," Jasper choked out through his laughter.

Emmett grinned broadly and even Rosalie – who, until know, I believed had no sense of humor – cracked a smile. Emmett threw the box at Edward with such precision that it wasn't even close to hitting me. Edward caught it and tossed it behind him. Jasper reached across and pulled out a box from under the tree and tossed it to Emmett.

"Here's your real gift."

Emmett caught it and tore open the paper once again. He grinned and showed everybody a collection of punk/rock CDs.

"Thanks, guys! Rose, you next!"

Emmett grabbed the package that was from me. Rosalie was much more civilized as she lithely opened her gift. She pulled out the outfit Alice and I had picked out. She smiled widely as she said, "Thanks Bella...this is even better than what I'd wanted."

I blushed furiously – as always – as I mumbled, "Thank Alice too...she helped me pick."

--

It had only taken about an hour for everybody's gift to be opened. I had gotten Edward a huge selection of classical CDs, which he was euphoric about. I'd given Esme a charm bracelet with a charm on there for each member of the family. Edward was represented by a musical note, showing his musical ability. Emmett's charm was a bear, which was self-explanatory. Alice was represented by a star, showing her beauty, inside and out. Jasper's was a gentle hand showing his eagerness to help people...a helping hand. Rosalie's charm was a sparkling diamond – Alice insisted on it, therefore she also paid for it – to show her radiating beauty. Carlisle was shown as a sun, showing his compassion, brilliant mind, and his bright outlook on life. I'd gotten a charm for Esme as well...it was a woman and her child inside a heart, showing her maternal attitude and never ending love. Alice demanded that I got a charm for myself...she said I was part of the family. Alice helped me pick out just a perfect charm; an emerald cut in the shape of a heart. Alice bought this as well, saying that it shows that I'm the rock that united the family even closer than thought possible by being compassionate, loving, and non-judgmental.

When Esme opened the gift, she let out an audible gasp. I was sure that if she could cry, tears could've been cascading down her cheeks. She left Carlisle's side and knelt down beside me. She enveloped me into her strong arms and kissed my cheek lightly.

"Thank you Bella," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Thank you so much...it's beautiful."

I blushed, of course, but smiled back. I wrapped my arms around her torso as well and whispered, "You're very welcome."

I had gotten Carlisle a book on the rarest diseases known on earth. Alice told me he'd appreciate it, and he did. After everyone had thanked each other, Alice and I called them downstairs to the basement. Edward furrowed his brow, his marble skin pulled tight across his forehead. I just shrugged and smiled. When the whole family was in the hallway leading to the wrestling room, Alice said, "This is Bella's and my gift to you. Bella, would you do the honors?"

I stepped up to her and wrapped my fingers around the cool metal of the doorknob. I twisted and pushed. The door swung open. Emmett was the first to race into the room. The light blue padding that surrounded the large room thrilled him. Esme grinned and said, "Thank you...this way Emmett won't break anything more."

"That's the idea," Alice said. "Hopefully this'll be enough to last awhile."

Everybody filed into the large room. Emmett and Jasper were the first to try out the new room. The padding worked. Although there was a loud thud whenever somebody hit the walls, the padding remained unscathed.

"Okay, Carlisle and I are going to start on Bella's Christmas dinner," Esme announced. "Bella, make sure they don't get out of hand."

"You sure you don't want any help with dinner?" I asked, embarrassed. I didn't want them to feel obliged to make a large meal just for one person.

"Bella, honey, don't worry about it," Esme assured me sweetly. "We can take care of the food. You have fun."

She then turned towards her adopted children and said firmly, "Have fun, but _do not_ forget to include Bella."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and vowed, "We won't forget about her."

Esme seemed satisfied and she and Carlisle left the room. Emmett and Jasper were still going at it. Right now, it seemed Emmett was winning. But then Jasper maneuvered in a motion unfamiliar to Emmett. Jasper now had Emmett pinned to the ground, his teeth millimeters from the chalky flesh of Emmett's neck. Emmett uttered a cuss word I'd never heard him use.

"Okay, boys, that's enough," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Emmett, your ego deserved that, so suck it up. The next time you wrestle, you'll win. Jazz, well done. Now, let's do something that doesn't involved everyone else standing around while you two go at each others throats. Let's play _Rock Band_!"

We all trudged back upstairs. Edward quickly hooked up the game to the Wii system. Edward told me to choose which instrument - either guitar, drums, or vocals - to play. I figured that the guitar would be the easiest for me. Alice instantly grabbed the microphone to be the vocalist. Edward grinned and situated himself to play the drums.

I sucked. I missed practically every other note, whereas Edward and Alice were perfect, as always. After we got "booed" off the stage, I looked at them apologetically.

"Don't worry about it Bella," Alice said. "It's just for fun. Now, if you want serious, watch Emmett play the drums and Jasper play the guitar."

I noticed she was still holding the microphone and asked, "Are you always the vocalist?"

"Yes," she answered, bobbing her head. "None of the guys are man enough to step in an sing, and Rosalie's such a killjoy that she doesn't ever play."

Rosalie, who was sitting on the couch watching, _humphed_ in reply to Alice's statement. Alice grinned at her and then returned her attention to me. "Why, would you like to be the vocalist?"

"No," I instantly said, backing away. "If you thought I was bad on guitar, wait till you hear me sing. You'll all go running from the room, covering your ears, screaming."

A wide smile etched itself onto her marble face. She just shrugged and returned her attention to the television. They were playing on expert and were flying through it skillfully. However, every time Emmett or Jasper messed up, they'd get chewed out by the other person.

"C'mon Jazz...get it right!" Emmett roared playfully when Jasper hit the wrong note and swore.

Just then, Esme popped her head in the room.

"I hope you're letting Bella play," she said sternly. "It is, after all, _her_ gift."

"But Esme," Emmett whined, "she's terrible."

He looked over at me an winked before returning his focus back to the television.

"Trust me Esme, this is much more entertaining," I told her, smiling. "Just a bucket of popcorn and I'd be set for a day of non-stop entertainment."

Esme smiled at me and returned to the kitchen. Jasper's fingers moved fluidly across the guitar as he struck each button with precision. Emmett was banging on each drum pad at necessary moments. Alice was singing, rather loudly, to the song they were performing. The song finally concluded, and the audience in the game was thrilled with their performance.

"Woo, that was fun!" Emmett said, grinning broadly, all of his white teeth glistening.

"Yes, Emmett, we all know how much fun you have hitting things," Edward said, "but let's do an activity we ALL can participate in. Like a snowball fight again."

"But Bella..."

"Will be on my team," Edward interrupted Emmett.

"Actually," Alice said, "Bella will be on _my_ team. And Rosalie will too."

Rosalie joined us, smiling. Of course, guys versus girls. I slid into the parka I wore yesterday. It was now dry and toasty warm, thanks to it being directly over the heater. I slipped on the same boots I'd worn yesterday and joined the Cullen family in the snow. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were all jogging across the yard while I stayed with Rosalie and Alice.

"Okay, since you probably won't be able to throw as hard as we can," Alice told me, "just avoid the oncoming snow. They won't throw it hard, I promise...if they do, Edward will probably rip them apart."

I grinned. Edward, of course, _would_ attack his brothers if they threw a snowball at me. Then the fight abruptly started. Snowballs were whipped in every direction. I would dodge the few snowballs that we lobbed my way. Emmett was usually the culprit behind the attack, roaring with laughter the whole time. It was extremely humorous to watch. I saw a snowball hit Jasper in the chest. He growled playfully at Emmett as he shouted, "What are you doing, Em? I'm on YOUR team you idiot!"

However, our fun was stopped when Esme walked outside, announcing that dinner was ready. Everybody rushed into the house so fast that one would assume that they were all famished. I knew, however, that they were repulsed by food and were probably just excited to see my reaction to the meal. I walked in and into the dining room area.

"Dinner is served."

* * *

**A/N 2:** Thanks so much for all of the responses I received last chapter! I'm glad you all liked it. Beta read by **Tommys my 21**.


	4. Chapter 4

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

"Dinner is served," Esme announced.

My jaw dropped. There was so much food! The whole table was covered with dishes full of steaming food. My mouth watered as the different scents and flavors reached my nostrils. It all looked so good. The turkey that was perched in the middle of the table was a nice golden brown...cooked to perfection. There was sweet corn in a bowl on the table, steam rolling off of it. There were creamy mashed potatoes beside the corn. Green beans followed the line of food. Finally, there was a basket of croissant rolls, still warm from the oven.

Okay, so it wasn't _a lot_ of food, but it was definitely more than I could eat. The whole family looked at me eagerly. There were chairs all around the table, but only one had a plate, a glass, and utensils next to it. I assumed that that was my spot. I walked up to it, but Edward beat me. He pulled the chair out so I could sit. I did so, and he gently pushed it up to the table.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked, picking up my glass. "Milk? Water? Soda?"

"Milk is fine," I said, blushing furiously.

Edward came back seconds later, offering me a full glass of white milk. I smiled and thanked him as I took the glass from him. I took a swallow before replacing it above my plate.

"So, how's it look Bella?" Alice asked. "It smells nasty to us."

"It looks – and smells – wonderful," I said. "Thank you very much."

I beamed, and everybody started moving at once. Edward picked up my plate and handed it to Carlisle, who was carving the turkey. He piled several perfect slices onto my plate before passing it to Alice. She plopped the mashed potatoes onto the plate and handed it to Esme, who put a spoonful of corn onto the plate. Next in line was Emmett, who was serving the green beans. Rosalie quickly put some butter onto the croissant roll and slid it onto the plate and handed the full plate to Jasper. He walked over to me and set it down in front of me.

"Er, thanks," I said. They had all moved so fast, so _gracefully_ that it had taken mere seconds for my plate to get back to me.

The Cullens all sat down at once. Edward was to my right, Alice to my left. Everybody was looking at me, eager to see what I thought of the food. I stabbed a piece of steaming turkey with my fork and shoveled it into my mouth. Although it was hot, it was delicious. All of its juices flowed from the meat when I took the first bite and washed across my taste buds. The meat was so tender and delicious.

"This is amazing!" I said, and I saw a smile of relief spread across everyone's face. Esme beamed. "How'd you get it so juicy?"

Carlisle shrugged and responded, "Food Network."

I grinned and sampled the other food. It was all so yummy! For never needing to cook, Carlisle and Esme did an AMAZING job with dinner! I had eaten two helpings of everything and was stuffed. I had no room left for pie.

"No matter," Esme said. "You can have that later when your stomach's digested most of the meal."

"Thank you very much for making this," I said. "You really didn't need to do this."

"Oh, Bella, it was our pleasure!"

I excused myself. The rest of the family _must_ be bored, watching me stuff my face. I decided they should do something. I had found a Frisbee in Edward's room...I'd never seen them play Frisbee before. So, wanting to watch, I suggested, "Why don't you guys go play Frisbee? I'll watch. It's bound to be as funny as you all playing baseball."

"Oh, Bella, we don't want you to feel left out," Esme said.

I laughed. "Trust me...after all much food I just ate, I'm lucky I can still walk. I'll watch you guys while my food digests."

"If you're sure..."

"Positive...let's go!"

--

I caught a ride on Edward's back as we ran to the open field where they played baseball. Carlisle was already there and was setting up boundaries. The field was two times the length of the football field and twice as wide. We played this in gym class and the playing surface was just the length and width of the gym. Granted, I'd stayed in the corner of the end zone, pretending to participate. The whole class knew I was a hazard to myself and to other people, so they pretty much would catch the Frisbee before it got to me, or they just avoided me altogether. Only I could make the Frisbee hit someone in the head, then hit the wall, and then bounce off of somebody else's head, and at the same time have the arm I threw it with stiff-arm someone's chest. Yeah, not a very good experience.

Emmett had the Frisbee and he was warming up with the rest of the family. He was softly tossing it - but his version of soft was my version of hard - to the rest of the group. Carlisle finished marking the boundaries - the edge where the forest met the grass was out - and he came to the rest of the group. Since the numbers weren't even, one person would sit out for a few minutes with me. Esme, of course, volunteered to sit out first. She walked over to me.

"You and I are the referees," she said, smiling. "Emmet, Alice, Carlisle, you're one team. Edward, Jasper, Rose...the other. Jasper, Emmett, rock-paper-scissors to see who kicks off."

The two boys grinned as they walked up to each other, fists forward. Esme counted to three and they threw whichever at each other. Jasper threw paper, Emmett threw rock...Jasper won. Cussing, Emmett went to stand by his team with the Frisbee. Emmett threw the Frisbee off to the other team. They all moved at lightening speed. The Frisbee whizzed past us in the air. It was amazing to watch. They all threw it so fluidly and caught it with ease. They ran around the field with fluid, graceful movements. I grew extremely envious. If I tried any of that, I'd inevitably fall. They all ran with the litheness of an animal.

A sudden cracking sound caught my attention. Alice and Edward were on the ground, fighting over the Frisbee. The Frisbee was in Alice's small hands. Edward was trying to yank the disk from her hands. He gave up with a sigh and released his iron grasp. Alice grinned in victory and danced to her feet. She flicked her wrist, yet the Frisbee soared through the air and towards her goal line. Emmett jumped in front of Carlisle to catch it. I laughed as Emmett apologized quickly, but threw it down field for Carlisle. Edward, however, was faster. He raced past everyone else and leapt into the crisp air. He caught the Frisbee and landed lightly on his feet, tossing it back down field towards Jasper all in the same movement.

This game continued until twilight had settled across the valley. The sun had highlighted the clouds into a perfect color scheme. Beautiful shades of blues, yellows, pinks, oranges, reds, and purples streaked across the sky. It looked like something that would be drawn by Picasso. The colors all blended together perfectly. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the scene. Usually, twilight wasn't this pretty. It was usually just thick, gray clouds turning into a darker color as the light faded.

Edward must have noticed my distraction. He walked over to me and wrapped his cold arms around me lightly. He rested his jaw on the top of my head as he gazed at the horizon.

"It's so pretty!"

"Hmm," he said, distracted. I felt his eyes burning through me, and I flushed. "Right now, I am staring at the most beautiful scene in existence."

I smirked as I said, "You're a little biased, aren't you?"

He shrugged. He kissed my cheek lightly and whispered, "Time for you to eat pie. Besides, you must be freezing. We've been out here for hours."

I shrugged and held onto him. He maneuvered me onto his back. He shot off into the night, me holding onto him for dear life. No matter how many times we've done this, I still haven't gotten used tot his feeling. It was like flying. The cold air bit at my face. My hair whipped back behind me. Everything was a blur around me, making my feel nauseous. I usually kept my face pressed against Edward's shoulder, which is where it now resided. When we came to a full stop, I looked around. We were in the Cullen's living room. Edward was untying my boots for me.

"I can do that, you know."

He just smiled and continued to take my boots off for me. I shrugged out of my coat. As soon as it was off, Emmett took it from me and hung it up. Alice walked into the room with a steaming cup of...something. A chocolaty scent reached my nostrils and I smiled. Hot chocolate! I loved that stuff...hadn't had it in awhile, either.

"And here is your hot chocolate, Bella," she said, handing me the steaming cup. I had realized how cold I was until I was holding the hot mug. I started to shiver. Edward noticed and darted into a different room. I thought he left me in order for me to warm up, but he reemerged with some blankets. He wrapped them around my body and kissed my cheek lightly. I thanked him for this. I then heard the microwave turn on and the scent of several pies wafted to the room. Emmett scrunched up his nose and said, "Whew-ee Bella! How can you EAT that stuff?"

"How can you drink blood?" I retorted, shrugging. "I think your food is repulsing, you think mine is repulsing. Problem solved."

He rolled his eyes and laughed. He disappeared into the kitchen. I heard a variety of noises and Emmett cussing a few times. Finally, Emmett appeared with a large plate. On it were numerous slices of pie. Apple, chocolate pudding, chocolate chip, cheese cake, and pumpkin. Whipped cream was plopped onto each piece, except for the apple and the cheese cake. Cherries adorned to top of the cheese cake, and ice cream accompanied the apple pie. Emmett handed me a fork and said, "Here ya go!"

I dug my fork into the apple pie first. Steam wafted up from it. I blew on it gentle to cool it down before popping it into my mouth. It was delicious! Charlie should taking cooking lessons from them! It was done just right, warmed up to the perfect temperature, and the vanilla ice cream was wonderful with it.

"Mmm," I moaned, "this is _delicious_!"

They all broke out into a grin. The pies were really amazing. They're such good cooks...too bad they can't eat anything they make. Well, this tasted to me what I assumed human blood would taste to them. I shuddered at that thought and repressed it. I forked another bite into my mouth.

I finished all of my pies, and was stuffed. I don't think I had ever eaten that much...EVER! I thanked them and stood up to take my plate into the kitchen. Jasper, like a good gentleman, offered to take it in.

"No, I got it," I said. "I need to start working off all of these calories."

I walked into the kitchen. All of the food had been wonderful. Their hospitality was incredible. I wished I could do something as a little thank you. When I saw the dirty dished by the sink, I said, "I'll help you do the dishes."

"Oh, Bella, don't be silly..."

"No, I-I want to," I insisted. "You all have done so much for me already...I feel like a schmuck. Edward and I will do the dishes, right?"

I gave him a glance, and he nodded. We both stepped over to the sink and I began to fill it with hot, soapy water. I dipped my hands into the scalding water and began to wash the dishes quickly. Edward dried them faster than I could wash, so he was always waiting around for me to finish. But he didn't get impatient. He just talked or hummed softly. We worked in silence, occasionally speaking. We were both content to just be standing there next to each other. It was perfect...

...Until I got to the knife. I reached blindly into the water, forgetting the carving knife was in there. My hand met something sharp and I felt pain. The water was being tinted red.

"Ouch!" I hissed. "Damn!"

I yanked my hand out of the water. Edward stiffened beside me. I heard a growl from the next room, and then I heard Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, and Esme coaxing Jasper outside. Carlisle entered the room. My shoulders slumped in both embarrassment and apology. I felt like the world's hugest dorky klutz.

"I am so sorry," I said as Carlisle grabbed antiseptic from his bag and a bandage.

"Bella, don't worry about it," Edward said, holding my good hand. I was surprised that he was able to sit here, but I didn't question. He _appeared_ to be in control of himself. "You can't apologize for nicking your hand on a knife."

I pulled my hand from the table. I held up my hand and thrust my palm towards Edward. There was a deep slice through my palm and my fingers. Blood was trickling down my palm. "Does this look like a "nick"?"

He sighed. I placed my hand, palm up, onto the table. Carlisle got a towel and applied pressure to my hand. He waited for a few minutes. Edward caressed my uninjured hand lovingly while we waited for the blood flow to slow. It finally did. Carlisle washed it out with something to clean it...it burned like hell. He then wrapped gauze around my hand. He applied so much gauze that my hand look more serious than it actually was.

"Why do I need so much gauze?" I asked.

"To cover the smell of your open wound," Carlisle replied simply. "It's still there, but it doesn't smell as good with the combination of the antiseptic and the gauze. That _should_ do the trick."

I sighed and I thanked him. Leave it to me to slice my hand up in a house full of vampires. I was suddenly very tired and just wanted to sleep. I walked through the living room and trudged up to my room. I quickly changed into pajamas and slid under the covers. Edward was tentatively standing at the doorway.

"Hold me," I murmured in the dark.

In an instant, he was lying next to me. I snuggled deep into his arms and fell into a dreamless bliss.

* * *

**A/N 2:** This actually happened to me once. I had forgotten about a meat cleaver in the sink and sliced open my hand. My friend was with me, and she faints at the sight of blood. So there I was, bleeding, while my friend was passed out on the floor. And I'm sorry for the delay in updating. Finals are coming up in school and teachers are pounding even more crap into our heads. Please let me know what you thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

I had a nice, dreamless sleep. The wind must have taken all of the energy out of me last night while the Cullens were playing Frisbee. I still felt Edward's cold, hard arms molded around my frame. I was also aware that he was smelling my hair while rubbing his fingers gently up and down my clothed back. I was also painfully aware of the deep gash on my hand. It was a burning sensation that was also a throb. I went to take in a deep breath, but found that my nose wouldn't take in oxygen. I sniffed hard, and only a teensy bit of air entered my nasal cavity. Frustrated, I opened my mouth to breathe. However, the air tickled my parched throat, and a large cough emanated from me. My throat felt like somebody was shoving a double-edged sword down the length of it. It hurt.

"Bella, are you okay?"

I moved to face Edward. But as I moved, my blankets slid off of me and I was really cold. I yanked the covers back over me and curled up into a tight ball. Edward furrowed his brow, his stone face set into a mask of concern. He trailed his fingers lightly over my cheek. I shivered and he pulled them back.

"Bella, honey, you're burning up," he said, surprised.

"How would you know?" I muttered. "Everything feels warm to you."

He smirked but answered, "Because I've remembered the temperature of your skin. It's much warmer than it should be. And your cough sound horrible, as does your sniffling. Sweetheart, I think you've got a cold."

"Yippee," I exclaimed in mock enthusiasm, my voice much hoarser than normal. My throat scratched whenever I talked as well, so I would have to remember to talk as little as possible.

Sighing, I pulled the covers off of me. I gathered a fresh set of clothes and dragged myself to the bathroom. I let the water run so it would get hot before jumping in. Even though steam was rolling around me in thick clouds and my skin was turning pink from the heat, I couldn't seem to get warm. However, the steam DID help my nasal congestion and I could breathe easier. Giving up on trying to get warm, I got out of the shower and threw on my clothes, a pair of sweats.

As I sniffed, trying to get oxygen through my nose, I stumbled down stairs. My head was spinning and it felt like I was going to faint. Dizziness isn't good for anybody, but especially not if you've got coordination issues...like me. I began to wobble. I heard somebody call my name, and the next thing I knew, something cold and hard was surrounding me. Then something soft was under me...the couch. I looked up and saw Edward's golden eyes swimming with concern as he held onto me.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked, looking into my eyes. I could tell he was frustrated that he couldn't tell what I was thinking.

Deciding lying probably wasn't the best option, I shook my head negatively. My throat racked up a cough. My throat and chest burned, and the sound of my cough didn't sound pleasant either. I sounded like a heavy smoker, or perhaps somebody with severe asthma. Either way, it wasn't fun.

"No," I squeaked out, my voice giving out on the single word.

"Bella, what hurts?" he asked, Carlisle now coming towards us.

"Throat, chest, nose, head," I began to list, my voice so lost I could barely hear myself. I knew, however, that that wouldn't be a problem, what with their heightened senses. "I'm cold and yet Edward said I was hot."

"Yeah, well, he always thinks you're _hot_," Emmett snickered.

I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed as I got his vulgar joke. He was so immature for his age. But, he was Emmett. Emmett laughed at his own joke as well, but then his face got serious. Carlisle was talking with Edward quietly before he turned his complete attention to me. He whispered something quick to Alice, far too low for my human ears to pick up. Alice disappeared from the room quickly, and just as quickly reappeared. A large black bag was clutched in her small hand; Carlisle's medical bag. He rummaged through it and found what he wanted...a stethoscope. I groaned. I hated being fussed over, especially in the Cullen's house.

He pressed the stethoscope to my bare back under my hoodie. It was very cold, and I jumped. Carlisle looked at me apologetically as he listened to my breathing. I could feel that I was having difficulty breathing, so it didn't surprise me when Carlisle told me that I may have bronchitis. As if to agree with him, I let out a violent cough. My throat seemed to split open. I also began to shiver. Esme draped a thick blanket around my shoulders and tucked it around my body.

"Bella, would you like some water?"

I nodded, and Alice went to retrieve it.

"And I ought to redress your bandages," Carlisle told me, eyeing my injured hand.

Alice was back at my side in a moment, carrying a tall glass of ice-cold water. She handed it to me, and I gulped greedily. It soothed my throat with the coolness, but it hurt to swallow it. Being sick sucked. I sniffed hard, trying to dislodge my congested nasal cavity. All that did was make my head ache and spin some more. I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose with the fingers of my right hand.

I saw Carlisle fetch some new bandages out of his bag, and pretty soon, the room was empty. I saw everybody, except for Edward, go outside. The all looked at me apologetically, but I would forgive them. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry. An open wound around a coven of vampires isn't a good thing.

I watched as Carlisle cut the bandages away from my hand. My wound looked horrid. It was an angry red the whole way around it, and there was a gaping slice through the middle of my hand and across a few fingers. Damn my bad luck to hell...or was it clumsiness? Well, it doesn't matter...damn the both of them to the deepest pits of Hades!

I looked away when I felt my stomach begin to roll. Edward, sensing my reaction, stroked my hair comfortingly. I saw the agony in Edward's eyes as he sat there, unable to help me. I wanted to reassure him, to tell him that this wasn't his fault. Humans got sick all the time, and I would eventually get better. I scooted to him and snuggled into his arms. With my many layers of clothing and the heavy blanket, I couldn't even feel the iciness of his skin. I was very comfortable in his lap. Like it was my own personal couch, custom made to fit my body.

I pressed my lips to the hollow of his throat. I nestled myself deep into his arms and I felt him wind his arms around me. He sighed as he rested his cheek on top of my head. I was in my own little heaven and was content.

I felt something wet spray across my hand. I hissed as it instantly stung. Edward cradled me even closer - if that was possible - and murmured soft words of his love and apologies into my ear. I shoved my face into the crevice of his shoulder and inhaled his scent. He did the same. It was a pleasant distraction to be sitting in the lap of my loved one while Carlisle treated my hand. I then felt the thick gauze begin to enclose the wound. Edward must've been watching to see when it was over, for he resituated me so I wasn't smothering myself against his shirt.

I was watching as snow drifted down softly from the pearly-gray sky. It covered the frozen ground in a fluffy blanket of white. Outside, I saw Emmett pick up a handful of snow and chuck it at Jasper. It hit Jasper's back. He whipped around. I saw him disappear, and within moments he was on top of Emmett. The two were roaring with laughter as they tried to tackle each other to the ground. Alice rolled her eyes. She looked at me through the window and grinned. I shook my head and smiled back.

The group came in moments later - I guess Alice told them it was okay for them to reenter the house - soaked from the snow. I felt bad that they had to get wet from the snow just because I had been clumsy and skewered myself with the knife. But they all appeared to be grinning. They disappeared for a few moments and reappeared with fresh clothes on and a smile still on their face. They all went about their business...Rosalie playing the piano, Emmett and Jasper - because they were the ones who couldn't cheat - were playing chess, while Alice and Esme joined me and Edward on the couch. It was a perfect scene.

However, the rest of the day wasn't so perfect. In fact, it sucked. In between coughing and being cold, I had gotten the aches as well. Carlisle said I had the flu, but I could've told him that. He had Esme pick up some over-the-counter medicine for me. She was back in record time - less than five minutes. They gave me the bottle of medicine to help ease the symptoms of the influenza, and I swallowed down a mouthful of the liquid. It took awhile for the stuff to kick in, but when it did, I felt numb. Nothing really hurt anymore, nor did I ache as much. My eyelids grew extremely heavy, and I fought to keep them open.

"Shh," Edward said. "Sleep, Bella, my love. You'll feel much better when you're asleep."

His voice was, in and of itself, like a lullaby. Although, when he began to hum my special lullaby, that put me over the edge. I no longer felt anything. I no longer heard anything. I no longer saw anything, except for the welcoming darkness of my sleep.

--

The rest of the Christmas break was okay. I was sick for half of it, so that wasn't much fun. But, I did start to feel much better by New Year's Eve. I was still coughing, but it wasn't as often, nor did it sound so horrible. It also didn't hurt as much. I wasn't achy anymore. I wasn't as cold any more. I was feeling more energetic and active.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Bella," Esme said lovingly the morning I woke up on December thirtieth. "At least now you can enjoy the New Year. And speaking of that, what would you like us to make for you tomorrow? Pork and sauerkraut? Isn't that usually your tradition? And mashed potatoes and corn and..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, holding up my hand - which had healed rather nicely - to stop her flow of words. "You don't need to make anything for me."

She sighed. Alice did too, and rolled her eyes.

"For crying out loud, Bella," Alice scoffed. "When are you going to realize that we don't MIND cooking for you. We honestly, truly want to make good food for you to eat! Sheesh!"

I smirked at her and mumbled, "What you listed would be nice."

Alice grinned, triumphant. "See, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

"Oh it was so painful Alice!" I moaned in mock-agony. "Never, ever make me say those words again!"

Edward chuckled from beside me Alice glared at him. However, her gaze softened and she grinned.

"It's glad to have you back Bella," she said. "Things haven't been as fun when you were always exhausted and could barely speak."

"Well, I'll talk so much more now that you'll want to shove a sock into my mouth to shut me up," I dryly answered.

Alice laughed, her voice shooting up an octave or so. She shook her head and turned for the door. Before she exited my room, she turned around and said, "You'd better get ready...we've got a ton of stuff to do to make up for the time you missed while you were sick."

With that, she left the room. A dumbfounded expression was scrawled across my face. Edward chuckled and said, "Just humor her...besides, I checked. It's nothing too bad."

I sighed and crawled out of bed, ready to face whatever hell Alice had in store for me.

* * *

**A/N 2:** I'm so sorry for the delay in the update...life's been hectic and so has school. And I want to thank **Tommys My 21** for beta reading this...sorry for not mentioning you last chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

I quickly got into the shower, but as I was heading back to my room - well, technically Edward's room - Alice burst in carrying an outfit for me. After jumping in surprise and turning red, I groaned. Of course she would have something better for me to wear. No doubt it would be something obscenely expensive and fancy, and something I'd never wear. My assumptions were correct. It was a skin-tight, blood-red dress. I didn't walk so well in dresses.

"Oh, come on Bella, it won't kill you to wear a _dress_," Alice said, rolling her eyes while grinning. "Well, maybe I shouldn't jinx you with your luck, but I don't see you hurting yourself today. And besides, everybody's dressing up...we're taking you out to eat and then we're going shopping! There's a New Year's Eve party that Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and I are taking you to. We're giving Carlisle and Esme a night to themselves."

"Yippee!" I mumbled. "Exactly what I need...all the attention on me. And where's the party?"

Alice giggled and said, "Never you mind. Now, get into that dress...we've got reservations for one o'clock and it's almost eleven-thirty already. Plus I have to do your hair and make-up. It's a brunch-type thingy with several other doctors from the area. Carlisle is friends with the coordinator of the bunch and is required to attend. Plus, it supposedly has good food, so you won't be hungry for the rest of the day."

I sighed and was a little hesitant to drop the towel that was wound around my body. Sure, I had a bra and my underwear on, but I was still debating the thought of shoving Alice out into the hallway for a few seconds to give me privacy. She seemed to sense my reluctance and she sighed heavily.

"Bella, we're both females! Take off the damn towel!"

I dropped my towel and hurriedly grabbed the dress from her hands. I rushed to put the dress on, but in my haste, I somehow managed to trip myself. I dropped to the ground and I heard Alice's exasperated sigh. I flushed a deep scarlet and tried again. I took my time this time and was able to shimmy into the dress. It clung to my curves, but it looked really nice on me. Edward usually preferred blue on me, but this shade of red looked stunning. It flowed down to my feet, only trailing on the floor a tiny bit...not enough for me to trip on it, though. The back made a V to the middle of my back...more skin than I usually exposed, but not enough to make me feel uncomfortable. It had no sleeves, and the neck of it hung down to the middle of my chest. I looked gorgeous.

"Aw, you're so _cute_!" Alice squealed, her voice raising several pitches. "And I've got this really cute necklace than will compliment your outfit PERFECTLY! Come, come!"

She practically dragged me to her room and rummaged around through a jewelry box. She finally murmured "Aha!" and turned to face me, a broad smile on her impish face. She rushed over to me and then stood back, admiring my frame. I felt the necklace on my throat, but I hadn't really seen her clasp it on me. It was beautiful. There was a heart made of silver with diamonds embedded in it along the outside. Dangling inside, there was a heart made of a ruby. It was cut so skillfully. The hearts hung on a simple, thin, silver chain. I loved it.

"So, what do you think?" Alice asked timidly beside me. "Do you like it?"

"No," I breathed, "I love it! Thank you, it's so beautiful! Where'd you get it."

Alice beamed at me and said, "Jasper actually got it for me a couple years ago. And I'm glad you like it."

"If Jasper got it for you, I wouldn't want to-"

Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Pshaw! He's gotten me a necklace every year for the anniversary of the day we first met...as you can see, I've got a ton of necklaces. It won't hurt his feelings, I promise."

I decided she was right and didn't fuss anymore. Well, that and I didn't really have time to. She pulled me along to the bathroom and began fixing my hair. I sat there, somewhat patiently, while she pulled and clipped and did God knows what to my wavy brown locks. She finally finished with my hair, but then moved on to my makeup. After a few excruciatingly long minutes of her messing around in front of me, Alice stepped back so I could look into a mirror. I gasped at what I saw. The girl in the mirror couldn't possibly be me. No, she looked too beautiful to be me. Her hair was extremely curly, but in a clasp high on her head, with a few tendrils hanging beside her perfect-looking face. Only a hint of eyeliner could be seen under her impossibly bright eyes. And only a hint of a smoky grey-ish eye shadow donned her eyelids. A touch of blush had been added to this girl's pale complexion, and just a faint trace of soft red lipstick ran across her full lips. No, there was no way that girl was me.

"What do you think?" Alice asked, getting a little anxious at my silence. "Too much? I can take some off. I know it's a bit more than you usually wear."

"No, Alice," I managed to breathe out, "it's perfect. You're amazing...really! God, I hardly look like me...amazing!"

She grinned in relief and said, "Well, you look great. Now head downstairs, I'll be down in a minute. Oh, and your shoes are downstairs as well...Edward will show them to you."

I pursed my lips. Alice probably went overboard and got me some freaky shoes that I couldn't walk in. But, I walked downstairs anyways, not wanting to hurt Alice's feelings or ruin her fun. I picked up the front end of my dress so I could attempt to successfully walk down the long set of spiral steps. Edward met me at the bottom...he looked absolutely handsome. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a bleached white shirt. He wore a deep cobalt blue tie and iron-pressed black pants. His usually wild, wind-blown hair was now combed and gelled into a very professional, presentable look. His eyes were the purest gold I'd ever seen, and they were smoldering as he examined me. I felt my face flush, and I looked down at my bare feet. I then noticed his feet...he wore shiny black shoes without even the slightest hint that they'd ever been worn.

"You look great," I mumbled, beginning to chew my bottom lip nervously.

"And you looked stunning," he whispered as he wrapped his arm around me. He walked me to the living room where his family was waiting. "You're absolutely beautiful. Alice did a wonderful job."

Everybody in the room looked stunning. Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper were dressed very similarly to Edward, but the women were gorgeous. Rosalie had her blonde hair wavy and down. It framed her pale face. She wore a deep emerald green gown that trailed to the floor and behind her several feet. There was no way I could pull that off; I'd trip and fall on my face. She wore dangling emerald earrings and an elegant diamond and emerald necklace around her perfect neck.

Esme was wearing a black dress that hung to the middle of her shins, so that part of her legs were visible under the fabric. Her hair was pulled back part way with a clip and she wore a simple pearl necklace. They all looked elegantly beautiful, there was no other way to put it. But today, I felt like I actually _belonged_ there. Like I actually fit in with them.

"You all look very beautiful," I told them.

They all smiled and complimented me. Emmett even joked that I looked more durable and coordinated. But I was interrupted but Alice dancing down the stairs. She breezed to a stop next to me. She was wearing a long pink gown that trailed behind her a few inches, like mine did. But hers wasn't a solid pink. The darkest pink was at her right shoulder and got lighter diagonally, so it was a soft, baby-pink at the left end. There were sparkles intricately circling around the sides of her dress. She looked great in this color.

"Hey Bella, Edward didn't show you to your shoes yet...follow me," she said, grabbing my elbow gently and tugging me down a hall. Edward tensed beside me, and Alice threw him a pointed glance. She then scoffed and rolled her eyes at him and continued to lead me down a hall. We entered a room - probably hers - and she rummaged swiftly around in her closet. She then pulled out a pair of shoes. They were a snowy white and had somewhat of a heel, but not too much of one. Alice forced me onto the bed - although she was careful to avoid messing up my hair, makeup, and dress - and knelt down. She fastened the shoe onto my feet and then stood back to admire her handiwork.

"Wow Bella, if I would have known you'd look so beautiful in dresses, I would take you to more of these events!"

I rolled my eyes, but stood up to examine myself in the full-length mirror. The shoes matched perfectly, but half of it was covered by the dress. Only my open toes were left uncovered.

"Oh, shoot," Alice muttered. "I forgot to paint your toenails. Crap. Okay, sit down for a sec, I'll be right back."

She flew from the room gracefully, and Edward entered it. He joined me on the bed and situated me into his lap, careful not to mess up Alice's hard work. My heart accelerated, as usual, and I leaned back against his cold, hard frame. Alice was suddenly back, carrying a small vial of red liquid. She crouched down to my feet and expertly applied the paint to my toenails. She was done in seconds, again admiring her work. My toenails glistened a blood red and matched my dress perfectly...no doubt Alice had planned that out.

"There, perfect!" she said, smiling. "Now, just sit there a few minutes and let that dry...don't you dare mess it up."

With that warning, she left the room. It was just me and Edward sitting on the unnecessary bed. Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me close, inhaling my scent. I could smell his sweet scent too. It was no smell any human, or perfume, or soap could ever imitate. It was _his_ scent. We sat there for an immeasurable length of time before Alice danced into the room and said, "Okay, time to go. Bella, you're riding with me, Edward, and Jasper in Edward's Volvo. Everyone else is taking Rose's Mercedes."

Edward gently and fluidly lifted me up and set me on the floor beside him. He kept his arm lock around me as we walked to the garage. He opened up my door for me and helped me get settled into the back seat before he join me a moment later. Alice and Jasper rode in the front; Alice drove. Edward kept my hand in his the whole ride, and he gently caressed the top of my hand with his cold thumb. It was so natural that it felt even more intimate than most things.

We flew down the highway. Alice drove nearly as recklessly as Edward, but she was a bit more fluid in her movements. We were at our destination within a half hour. We were in a different state, I thought, but I wasn't quite sure which one. We drove too fast for me to really get a look at the "Welcome to (insert state name here)" sign, plus I was too focused on Edward.

"We're here," Edward murmured to me as Alice swiftly maneuvered the car into a parking space. Rosalie's Mercedes slid into the space next to us, and the Cullens filed out of the cars. Edward opened my door for me again, and helped me out again. The parking lot was covered in ice patches here and there, so I was cautiously walking and Edward had his arm firmly around me, ready to catch me if I fell.

I did slip and slide around several times, but other than that, I made it inside the building accident-free. We were inside one of the most luxurious restaurants I'd ever seen! Elegant crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, illuminating the room in a very fancy manner. All of the drinking glasses were also made of crystal and the plates looked as if they'd never been used before, as did the utensils. I only saw a few people, but I figured we were just really early.

"Ah, Carlisle, I'm glad you and your family could join us! It's been awhile!"

I turned my head towards the voice, and saw a man wearing a crisp tuxedo walking towards us. He was of average height, but he was definitely muscular. His sandy hair was cropped short and his bright green eyes were very friendly. He was perhaps in his late thirties, but could pass for twenty-five.

Carlisle smiled and held out his hand to shake the other man's. I was curious to see our host's reaction, but he didn't seem at all concerned about the unnatural coldness of Carlisle's skin.

"Hello, Bryan," Carlisle said.

"Well, well, well, I know I haven't seen your family for awhile, but I definitely would've remembered a woman this beautiful. Who is this new addition?" Bryan said, looking directly at me. "Another adopted child of yours, Carlisle?"

"No, this is Bella," Carlisle said. I felt Edward stiffen beside me, pulling me closer to his side. I took his hand in mine and squeezed it, trying to relax him. Carlisle shot Edward a swift, pointed glare that I nearly missed. "She is with Edward...you remember my son, I presume."

"Yes, strapping young lad...what's he in now, eleventh grade?" he guessed.

"Twelfth," Edward answered curtly, his teeth clenched.

"Twelfth?" Bryan exclaimed, not seeming to notice the strain in Edward's voice. "Has it been that long?"

I saw Alice give Edward a glance and he relaxed somewhat, but kept me welded to his side. He murmured in my ear that we should find a table before it began to fill up. I just think he wanted to get away from Bryan. Carlisle and Esme stayed with Bryan and the trio walked to the door where people began to file in. They shook everybody's hand as they entered and greeted them warmly. Edward ushered me along to a table up front where the rest of the family was seated already.

"What was up with you back there?" I hissed at him the moment we sat down.

He shut his eyes and let out a breath. I waited for his response, but it never came. He sat there, statue-still, until I saw Alice roll her eyes. I saw her kick his shin and his eyes snapped open. She must have communicated with him via mind because I saw him begin to fidget, the way a normal person would. In order for them to blend in with the human population, they needed to act human, therefore they needed to readjust their posture every few minutes.

"Well?" I prompted, beginning to get impatient.

"Bryan has...problems," Edward said cautiously. His voice dropped to a subtle whisper, so quiet I could barely hear him. "He has...inappropriate thoughts of young girls. You looked like a fifteen year old to him, and he - he...you don't know what he was thinking. He has never acted on those thoughts before, but they're still there."

"But don't worry," Alice interjected. "He wasn't planning on doing anything."

I let out a breath and decided not to worry about it. I knew no harm would come to me while Edward was with me. Besides, This was supposed to be a party, and I decided to act like I was having fun.

And what a party it was. There were tons of people dressed in fancy gowns and suits. Lots of people gave speeches, including Carlisle, but I wasn't really paying attention. I was focused on Edward's face and his eyes, and vice versa. He hadn't removed his arms from around my waist the whole morning, and he hadn't pulled his eyes off of me, either.

But pretty soon, everybody was applauding one last time and I joined in. Bryan took the stage again and thanked everybody for attending and dismissed them. Everyone bustled around as they left, but the Cullens weren't in a big hurry.

"So, ready to go shopping, Bella?" Alice squealed in my ear as soon as the room was empty.

"Sure," I said, knowing she would have more fun than I would. "I thought you said we were going to be doing everything you had planned for me the whole vacation."

"We are," she said, grinning.

It finally clicked.

"You wanted to take me _shopping_ the whole vacation!"

She laughed and then skipped to the car. Edward chuckled in my ear and said, "I told you it wouldn't be a hard day...just amuse her. It'll be fine, I promise."

I groaned and slowly headed for the exit, wasting all the time that I could. I figured we would stop back at the Cullen's house so I could change, but Alice was one step ahead of me. She intercepted my path to the car and handed me a duffle bag. She shoved me off towards the bathroom where I changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and my converse shoes. I took my time with this as well, but Alice was getting impatient.

"Good God you're slow today, Bella!" she huffed when I finally met her at the door. "Trust me, you'll have fun."

"Yeah, fun, right," I mumbled.

We got into the car, and Alice sped off towards Seattle. She stopped the car in a crowded parking lot and sang, "We're here! Come on Bella!"

I groaned and looked at Edward with pleading eyes. He just grinned at me and kissed my nose.

"You'll be fine...I'll pick you up here in a few hours," he said. "Have fun."

I slid out of the car and allowed Alice to drag me to the first store.

* * *

**A/N 2:** Sorry for the delay...school is getting hectic again and Geometry sucks! I hope you enjoyed this...and thanks for all of the reviews I've received so far! And thank you to my beta reader **Tommys My 21**!


	7. Chapter 7

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

The first store Alice hauled me into was filled with clothes. All kinds of clothes hung on the racks for all types of occasions. She dragged me towards the youth section where the skirts hung. She quickly scoured the racks for the perfect skirt. She finally pulled one off the rack...it was a black skirt with multiple layers. It was cut extremely short and would probably only hang down to the middle of my thigh. It was definitely revealing. She then pulled off a denim skirt. It was a light, faded blue color and the ends were frayed. There were pockets on the butt - the edges around that we frayed as well - and butterflies decorated the pockets. This skirt also was cut short. She then rummaged through the rest of the rack and came up with an arm-full of skirts.

"Time to try stuff on!" she sang as she skipped towards the dressing room. "You first. Try them on, one at a time, and come out so I can see you."

I grumbled to myself as I took the skirt she handed me. I slipped into the dressing room and slipped on the skirt after removing my jeans. This skirt was the layered, black skirt. I was right, it came down to the middle of my thigh. When I placed my hands straight down, it reached to the bottom of my fingers. I was SO not wearing this.

"Get your butt out here Bella!" I heard Alice call.

I sighed and walked out to where Alice waited. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she looked at me. She walked around me in circles, carefully examining the skirt. I looked at myself in the mirror...I didn't look half bad in this skirt. Alice seemed to agree with me. I placed it in the "good" pile while I tried on a different skirt.

I finally got around to trying on all of the skirts, and there were really only two that we both agreed on. That black one I tried on first, and the denim one with the butterflies on the butt. I tried them on again, and Alice and I both decided on the denim skirt. It actually looked really great on me, surprisingly.

"Okay, time to get one for me!" Alice said, pulling me back towards the rack. She was about to re-hang the black skirt, but I told her it actually might look good on her. So, she kept that one and collected several others. She went into the dressing room and was out within five minutes, holding the black layered one.

"You were right, this one looked the best," she said. "Now, let's get a blouse to wear. I know the perfect store, come on."

She dragged me to a store across the mall and rooted through the youth section again and pulled out what seemed like the entire collection. She shoved me off towards the changing room. She handed me a deep, royal blue, silk, v-neck blouse. It was very short...short enough that it barely concealed the skin around my waist. I walked out and Alice made me pirouette so she could examine me thoroughly. She nodded and said, "I like this one...put it on the "yes" pile."

I sighed and then walked back in. I slipped on a pink blouse that showed way too much cleavage. I didn't even have to walk out before Alice said, "Definitely not...that doesn't look like "you". Try on the next one."

I sighed in gratification. I slipped it off, and thus began the "no" pile. The dark royal blue blouse was only accompanied by a silk, black, sleeveless blouse. That one looked okay, in my opinion, but I preferred the blue one. The last one was similar to the blue one. It was a navy blue camisole that sloped down into a slight V. It exposed more cleavage than I usually preferred to show, but not enough to make me feel overly uncomfortable. It hung down to barely conceal the waist band of my jeans, which was more than what the other two shirts covered. I really liked this shirt...it was definitely different and exotic, but it looked good.

"Ooh, Bella, it looks perfect," Alice cooed. "Here, try it on with the skirt."

She threw my skirt over the door, and I shimmied into that. Together, it looked amazing. It was a whole new me. I looked more confident, like I didn't care what people thought. I liked it! Apparently, Alice did too. She giggled and said, "You are SO getting that. Come on out, let me see what you look like for real...I wanna make sure my vision did it justice."

I walked out to face Alice, and a grin was chiseled into her impish face. She made me spin before she squealed out loud. She told me that this outfit was perfect and would fit the occasion perfectly. We were most likely going to a club, from the sounds of it. Funny...I'd never pictured the Cullens going to a club. I especially didn't think Edward would let _me_ go to a club.

"Okay, my turn," Alice told me, shoving me back into the changing room. "I'll be back by the time you've finished."

And she was right...I stepped out of the dressing room with my blouse of choice and saw Alice waiting. She rushed in, tried on her clothes, and would occasionally step out to get my opinion. We finally decided on a black, long-sleeved, v-neck shirt that had a very intricate pattern splashed across the front in white. There was no real rhyme or reason to the pattern, it just looked like somebody made spiky yet curvy lines across the front. It matched very well with her black skirt, and it sort of made her look somewhat like a gothic/punk. It suited her personality.

"Great, we've got our outfits, now we can go home," I said, elated. But I caught one look at her face and asked, "Right?"

"Nope...we still have to get shoes, jewelry, and whatever else comes to mind," she said, dragging me towards the cash register.

She paid for all of the clothes, telling me not to worry about it. I rarely had to pay for anything when I went shopping with Alice. After our clothes were bagged, she pulled me off to a different store...a shoe store. There were shoes galore in this place. Alice, as always, knew exactly where she was going. She pulled me to the very back of the store where some really elegant shoes were stacked.

"Um Alice, I don't think these will really fit the occasion," I muttered. "I mean, I'm gonna be dressed in the shortest of skirts and a tank top...seriously, can't we find shoes that I can walk in."

"Silly, these are for me!" Alice said with a grin as she rummage through the rack. She finally found a pair that caught her eye and tried them one. There were pure black - I'm not sure why she suddenly seemed to love black - and had a three inch heal. There was minimal fabric, so it exposed her snowy feet.

"Hmm, what do you think?" Alice asked. "Do these look okay?"

I personally thought everything looked good on Alice, so I nodded. She rolled her eyes and said, "You say that about _everything_! I honestly don't know why I ask for your opinion anymore..._ooh_! Those are sexy!"

Alice swiftly wrapped the shoes back up and shoved them on the shelf before she practically ran to a shelf a few feet away. She got down a box and pulled out a pair of knee-high leather boots. It had maybe a three of four inch heal. She unzipped it and slid them on before re-zippering it. She admired herself in the full length mirror.

"Alice, those look great on you...even better than the last pair!" I gasped. They really suited her well.

"Thanks!" she gushed, putting them back into the box.

She kept the box and dragged me towards a different shelf. We were in a section that held shoes without a heal, or a very small one. Alice handed me a pair that looked similar to the first pair she tried on. The black fabric wound in criss-cross pattern over my foot. It exposed my toes - still painted blood red - and the flesh of my feet. I liked this pair.

"I think I've found my pair," I said, ready to be done shopping. The mall was crowded and it was getting on my last good nerve. So I was extremely relieved when Alice agreed. However, instead of going to the parking lot, she dragged me to a jewelry store.

"But Alice," I whined, "you've got all the jewelry you could ever ask for. I can use one of yours."

Alice rolled her eyes and scanned the glass cases. I looked at some of the glittering jewels in the case, but I also couldn't help but notice the prices. These were way too expensive. I couldn't allow the Cullens to pay this much for me. As if she could read my thoughts, Alice scoffed and said, "Bella, for the millionth time, we honestly don't mind it. We don't need to buy food, we don't need to pay for medical expenses...we get by very comfortably. Yeesh, just let us pamper you...it's your vacation for crying out loud!"

I huffed a sigh and allowed her to buy me a ridiculously expensive necklace. It was rather simple, but beautiful. It was a sapphire pendant - my birthstone - that was approximately the size of a quarter. The stone was surrounded by a white gold setting. White diamonds were embedded in the white gold surrounding. I didn't even want to know the price of the whole necklace. The whole pendant was hanging off of a simple gold chain. It was breathtaking.

"You didn't need to get something this extravagant!" I breathed when I saw what exactly she was purchasing.

"Edward told me exactly what to get you," she said matter-of-factly. "He specifically told me that it should be a necklace with your birthstone...and the necklace had to scream you name. Besides, it is going to look positively _gorgeous_ on you! Okay, I think we're done here. Edward will be here in a few minutes. Let's go!"

I was still marveling over the necklace Alice bought me. I felt guilty for letting her spend this much on me, and I was still trying to get an apology into her head. She, however, was not letting me say one. She just shook it off and reminded me that she loved to shop. When we walked outside, Edward's silver Volvo pulled up to us. It was impeccable timing. Edward got out of the driver's side and walked to me. He kissed me gently before he led me around the car and buckled me in.

I noticed people staring. I was quite sure if they were gawking at him or the car. If I were them, my only focus would've been on Edward's flawlessly beautiful face, but that was me. I blushed, even though he couldn't hear my thoughts. I was grateful for whatever flaw I had in my brain that allowed that glitch to happen.

"...and we got her the _cutest_ skirt and I damn near matched the necklace you told me to pick out for her."

I hadn't realized that Alice had begun to babble on about our whole shopping trip to Edward. I hadn't even realized that we were driving until Edward scolded me gently.

"Bella, love, why isn't your seatbelt on?"

'_Because I trust you to keep me completely safe_,' I thought. Instead, I mumbled, "Sorry, thinking."

I buckled up quickly as we shot off towards the Cullen's house.

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**A/N 2:** I'm so sorry for the delay in the update. I had a writer's block and school is really picking up speed. Thanks for all of the reviews so far...I didn't expect this story to be so popular. And thanks to **devilssmile666** for reading this over!


	8. Chapter 8

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

As a result of Edward's ridiculously fast driving, we made it to the Cullen's house within fifteen minutes. I got out of the car and reached for my bags but Edward beat me to it. He flashed his crooked grin at me and weaved his stony arms around my shoulders. I stepped closer to him and yet managed to not trip over his feet. Or mine. Esme greeted me with a hug at the door, as if she hadn't seen us in several days. I smiled at her as I stepped over the threshold.

"Come on Bella!" Alice chirped, tugging me gently towards her room. "We've only got an hour before we have to leave."

"And speaking of leaving," Carlisle said, appearing silently into the room, "we should be going. Alice, Edward, don't be out too late. Bella needs to sleep. Have fun at the party, and happy New Year, Bella, if we don't see you tonight."

"Uhm, thanks," she said, blushing. "You too. And have fun."

Esme smiled and the two departed. Alice waved them goodbye and continued to drag Bella to her room. Once inside, Alice dumped the contents of the shopping bags on the bed. Alice sorted through them, placing them on two separate piles. Once finished, she turned to me and said, "Get a quick shower...I need to start fresh for tonight."

I raised my eyebrows but headed off to the bathroom. As instructed, my shower took no more than ten minutes. I wrapped myself in the towel, drying off. Alice knocked on the bathroom door and handed me my clothes. I slithered into skirt and camisole. I, once again, admired myself in the mirror. I saw more skin than I usually preferred to show but the outfit showed off my body rather nicely. I walked back out into her bedroom where Alice sat, clad in her outfit. She was painting her toenails at rapid speed, her hand blurring in motion.

"Hang on just a second Bella," she said. I stood there for literally one second before Alice focused her concentration on me. She stood up and pointed to the bed, where I now took up residence. She had a bottle of nail polish remover in her hand and some cotton balls. She began to wipe the red nail polish from my toes and then plucked a small vial from the floor. Black liquid was inside...black nail polish. What was with her and black today? She applied the polish to my nails - toes and fingers - before she closed the vial.

"Just sit still while it dries," she ordered. "While it does, I'm going to do your hair."

She fetched the hairdryer and a comb. She dried it thoroughly and combed it periodically. She finally pulled away from me twenty minutes later. I gazed at myself in the mirror as she bent down to apply the second coat of nail polish to my toes then my fingers. My hair was semi-straight but looked wind-blown at the same time. It looked very wild on me, so it fit with the rest of me.

"Okay, makeup time!" she sang.

A case of makeup lay open beside her and she ordered me to close my eyes. I felt her applying the makeup. She was applying it for awhile before she finally was finished. She stepped back and let me gaze at myself through the mirror. I looked totally opposite from how I did this morning. This morning, I'd looked sophisticated and like I belonged with a royal family. Tonight, I still looked great, but I looked like an exotic dancer! The makeup Alice had applied was very dark and heavy. The eyeliner was thick upon my eyes and a dark black. Dark gray eye shadow adorned my eyelids. She had applied lip gloss, so they shined a light pink. My nails were black. She was rummaging around in her drawers as I admired my new image. She turned to face me, holding a large number of black, plastic bracelets. She slid them onto my wrists and then she placed silvery rings on my fingers. Every other finger was adorned with a silver ring - class rings, I assumed - except for my thumbs. She then hooked my new necklace onto my neck and stood beside me. I looked different, but good. I almost looked kind of depressed, though, but I didn't mind. I wasn't going to make a habit of this.

"You look so cute!" she said, grinning.

I let out a breath of laughter and said, "No, I look like I'm about to kill someone...or myself."

Alice rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged five minutes later, dressed and made-up. Her makeup and jewelry was similar to mine; all black with silver rings. She then grinned at me and slid into her boots. They made her stand several inches taller, but she still looked small and fragile. I then slipped on my shoes before we headed downstairs.

The guys were already ready. They all wore baggy jeans and a nice, button-up shirt. Rosalie stood beside them, wearing a skirt even short than mine. They showed off her long legs. She wore a pair of blue converses and a tight-fitting blouse. Her makeup was heavily applied and dark. Edward seemed to freeze when he saw me enter the room. I blushed and I head Emmett chuckle under his breath.

"You look dazzling, love," he breathed out as he walked to me.

"Thanks."

"Okay, time to go," Rosalie said, checking her watch. "Alice, you got our IDs?"

Alice flashed a laminated card at her and pocketed them once again. I glanced at Edward. I hoped there wasn't going to drinking at this club.

"Okay, let's go," Emmett said. "We're taking my jeep, right?"

"It's the only one that can fit us all," Alice told him.

We all walked to the enormous jeep and climbed in. The Cullens all could lithely glide in, but Edward had to carry me in. I settled in beside him as Emmett roared the vehicle to life. Edward strapped me in to the sophisticated seatbelt system. He caressed my hand with his cold thumb as we drove.

We had only been in the car for maybe a half hour when we pulled to a stop. Dusk was just setting, but the sky was concealed beneath a thick blanket of clouds, so it just looked like a dark blue-ish/black cover. The neon lights surrounding the building lit up the night in pulsating rhythms. Muffled beats of drums and guitars resonated from inside. Edward took me by the hand and gently led me inside. I looked around. The Cullens all were hand in hand with their partners. A gust of wind blew me sideways. I stumbled towards Edward but quickly caught myself. Thank God I'd brought a jacket; the wind was brutal.

"We're almost inside," Edward murmured in my ear. "You'll get warm soon enough."

I smiled. Some days I was certain that he could hear my thoughts. Sure enough, we were inside the club. Alice passed around our IDs. The information was accurate.

"We need to be 18 or older to get into the club, 21 or older to go to the bar," Alice said. "Edward and I are the only ones younger than 18, but what's a little fib?"

We got to the door and all flashed our identification cards. We were all let in and saw a lot of people. The lights were flashing and pulsating , casting the Cullens' white skin in an eerie, neon glow. The music was really loud and I knew my hearing would be muffled for quite a while afterwards. People were all around us, some of them sweaty, others just watching. The next thing I knew, Emmett was on the dance floor with Rosalie right behind him. The two began dancing to the music. I chuckled when the dancers cast a wary glance at Emmett and the men drooled at Rosalie. The ones who saw Emmett gave him a large diameter of room. Alice gently tugged on Jasper's arm, coaxing him onto the dance floor. Edward helped me shrug out of my jacket and he told me he was going to run it out to the jeep. He apparently literally ran, for he was back within a minute.

"Would you like to dance?" Edward asked me.

I gazed at him incredulously.

"Have you ever _seen_ me dance?" I asked. "I cause injuries to myself and surrounding people whenever I dance."

"You danced with me at prom," he pointed out.

"Actually, _you_ danced, I just stood on your feet."

He smiled at me and said, "Good point. And we don't have to dance, we can just watch the people dancing and listen to the music. Later on, though, they play some soft music that you'd hear at a wedding. You are going to dance with me during those songs, don't object."

So I didn't. He'd just pout and beg and smile at me. I'd save myself the trouble of refusing. I rolled up eyes and just smiled at him. I settled myself next to him and nestled into his shoulder. He kept his arm wrapped around my thin frame as we watched everybody dance.

Later on the night, when the club was damn near filled to its maximum capacity, we ran into a little trouble. Edward went to get me a soda while I continued to watch people dance. Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett were all still on the dance floor, and they all had quite a bit of space around them. People's instincts must have warned them not to get too close. That humored me. I was still sitting at a table nearest to the dance floor, grinning. This was the most fun I'd ever had on New Year's Eve...

...But all of a sudden, I wasn't alone. A rather intoxicated group of men walked my way. I figured they were going to enjoy a few more alcoholic beverages at one of the tables. And perhaps maybe have a burger. But they walked up to me, all four of them grinning like idiots.

"Hey sweet cheeks," one of them slurred.

"You wanna drink?" another asked, tipping a glass of honey-colored liquid to me. Some of the drink sloshed over the lip of the cup.

"Actually, my _boyfriend_ is getting me something to drink," I said, emphasizing boyfriend.

"Aw, come on, sugar," they whined, "you sure you don't wanna hang with us? I'm sure it'll be fun. Let us buy you a drink."

"No thank you," I said, shifting in my seat so I could stand up. They all seemed to tower over me. They looked like a pack of Emmetts. "I can't drink...I'm only 18. Now, if you'll excuse me."

I began to walk away. I glanced over at the Cullens, who had migrated farther away from me. They were oblivious to my problem. I searched for Edward, but couldn't see him. I all of a sudden seemed very claustrophobic. I walked blindly in the direction of the food bar, hoping to run into Edward. But the men caught a hold of my arm and spun me around painfully.

"Ow," I whimpered. "Let me go!"

One of the four drew me closer to him. I could smell the alcohol all over him. His fingers dug into my arm painfully. I bit my lip and tried to escape his grasp but to no avail.

"You know you wanna do me, sweet," he breathed, his hot breath hitting my face. "Come with us and we'll show you what a real party it like."

"Let her go."

I was instantly released. I stumbled blindly towards the person who had growled and hit hard, cold skin. I was wrapped up in coldness but it felt so reassuring. Why did I always have to draw drunken men towards me. The evening in Port Angeles had been very similar to this.

"Whoa, relax man. We was just playin'. We were gonna let her go."

Edward bared his teeth. The neon light reflected on them. This must have sobered them up quickly for they began to back away. Suddenly we were in the company of the rest of the Cullens. All four of them had their teeth bared and hissing softly. The men raised their hands in surrender and backed away. We watched them exit the club before a muscle was moved.

"Bella, love, are you okay?" Edward murmured. He gently pulled my arm towards him. There was a red mark in the shape of a hand forming on the top of my arm. His cold thumb caressed it gently while he pulled me to his chest. "I'm so sorry. I should not have left you here alone."

I relaxed in his embrace. I was safe and fine in his arms; no harm could come to me in his arms. He breathed in the smell of my shampoo as he soothingly rubbed my back.

"Let's go, he murmured.

"No, I don't want to leave," I whispered. "Just sit and hold me for awhile. I still owe you a dance."

He looked at me warily but agreed. We sat back down and I moved onto his lap. We stayed like that late into the night. At eleven o'clock, the rock music stopped and they put on some slow, soothing melodies. By now, the club had thinned out. Half of the people had left to go to another party and half had passed out drunk and were hauled home by a friend or a taxi. I got off of Edward's lap and started for the dance floor. He followed my loyally and gently took my hand in his. His touch was feather light as he pulled me into position. He moved slowly and smoothly as I tried to keep up with him.

"You know I can't dance," I whispered as I stepped up onto his feet.

He grinned and wrapped his arm around my waist for support. His feet moved in slow circles in rhythm to the music. I rested my head on his shoulder and kept my around wrapped around his waist. I looked around us. Other couples were slow-dancing, as were the Cullens. Alice and Jasper were both dancing smoothly to the music, their feet moving in synchronization. Rosalie and Emmett were dancing similar to how we were. Although Rose had both feet moving on the ground, her head was resting on Emmett's shoulder and he kissed her periodically.

"Having a good time?"

I looked up and saw Edward's honey eyes gazing lovingly into mine. I smiled and kissed him on the mouth before nodding. He smiled back and resumed dancing. His cold lips pressed to my forehead every so often throughout the hour.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice rang through the club. "Please join me in counting in the new year. 10...9...8...7..."

"I love you Bella," Edward said. "I always will...always and forever."

"6...5...4...3..."

"I love you, too," I answered. "Always and forever."

"2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"Happy New Year," Edward and I murmured at the same time. I smiled at him and kept my head on his shoulder at the confetti rained down upon us. Colorful strands caught into my hair and into Edward's. I felt perfectly happy. I was dancing and in the arms of my beloved...this New Year was shaping up to be pretty darn good.

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**A/N 2:** I apologize for the delay in updates, but life has been hectic. My softball season started and I've had games or practices every day. Hope you guys still like it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Christmas with the Cullens**

**Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer:** Much to my chagrin, I am not Stephenie Meyer, and I do not own any of these characters.

**Summary:** With Charlie out of town for the Christmas break, Bella spends the holiday with the Cullen family.

**A/N:** This was my very first attempt at writing a Twilight fanfiction, so I hope it wasn't too terrible.

* * *

Edward and I stayed like that for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other's arms. His sweet breath softly tickled my forehead as I inhaled his scent. His fingers were slowly running across my back. I could feel the coldness through the fabric of my shirt. Then Alice danced up to us, hand in hand with Jasper.

"Happy New Year!" she sang out shrilly. "What's your New Year's resolution Bella?"

New Year's resolution? I had no idea...I just wanted to be with Edward the rest of my life. Resolution, resolution, resolution...thankfully my thinking process got interrupted with a yawn, which furthermore interrupted it. Edward stroked my cheeks and said, "She can think of one later...she needs to get some sleep. Come on, love, get your coat."

Alice smirked at me but walked with us as Edward and I fetched my jacket. I slid into it and we walked outside. It had begun to snow at some point during the night and it was now up to our ankles. It was freezing cold and wet...and I had open-toed shoes. I grimaced as I took another step. Before I knew it, my feet had lost contact with the ground. I figured I had slipped but then I was staying in the air. Edward had hoisted me into his arms and was carrying me through the snow...how sweet! He walked me to the jeep and buckled me in while Emmett roared the engine.

The vehicle was cold inside and I could still see my breath. I could see Edward slide farther away from me, an attempt to keep me warmer. I slid closer to him, not caring that I was cold. I was tired and just wanted somebody to curl up with. He sighed. He shrugged out of his coat and handed it to me. Although it wouldn't be warm, my body heat would warm it up soon enough. Plus it was an extra layer between me and Edward's icy skin, which would please him. I scooted closer to him, but my stupid seat belt got in the way. He moved closer to me and I instantly curled up by his side. He tucked his arm around me and soothingly rubbed his hand up and down my arm. My eyes succumbed to exhaustion and closed. Within minutes I was asleep.

Sometime during the night, or morning as it was, I had been carried to Edward's bedroom. I awoke later on January first in a big comfy bed with the covers tucked all around me. I was also aware that I was in a pair of my old sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Alice must've changed me...or maybe I did it, I didn't remember. I moved to turn and came into contact with something cool and solid. I opened my groggy eyes. I blinked a few times before Edward's face came into view. He was staring back at me, both lovingly and intriguingly. I had no idea why he liked watching me sleep so much; it must be so boring.

"Morning beautiful," he whispered in his melodic tenor. "Sleep well?"

I yawned as I nodded. I glanced up at the clock on the wall to see that it was only seven o'clock in the morning. The sun was barely rising over the mountains. Edward followed my gaze and said, "You can sleep more if you'd like."

"No, I'll get up now," I answered. I sat up and stretched like a cat. I felt the crackle going down my spine as I did so. Edward grimaced and said, "That isn't good for your back, love."

"Feels good, though," I said, shrugging.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I carefully got up, not too sure if my balance would be impaired by my still-sleepy frame of mind or just because I had coordination issues. It seemed to be okay and I walked to the master bathroom with fresh clothes.

I showered and walked downstairs to find all of the Cullens busy. Carlisle and Esme were still not back from their night together; Edward told me they wouldn't be back until later this afternoon. Edward was situated on the piano and was composing as his fingers flew across the keys. Rosalie was watching humorously as Emmett played Jasper in chess. Alice was sitting next to Jasper. Although Emmet could still hear it, she would occasionally whisper advice into Jasper's ear.

"That's not fair!" Emmett whined. "You're cheating, Alice!"

She grinned at him and poked her tongue out at him. She then looked over at me and said, "Morning Bella! You're up earlier than I expected so I didn't have the chance to start breakfast yet. What would you like. And Jasper, don't move you're queen there, he'll get it in three moves."

Jasper grinned and decided to move his rook as Emmett cussed. I smiled and shook my head. Although I wasn't very good at chess, I settled myself next to Emmett to be of whatever assistance I could.

"So," Alice prompted, "breakfast?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I said, not looking up from the game board. At the moment, it looked to be fairly equal. Both Jasper and Emmett were only missing a few pawns. Edward came to sit next to Emmett, abandoning his post at the piano. He stooped beside his burly brother and began to whisper moves into his ear. Alice, of course, looked ahead via visions which Edward then saw in his head. They began to play it mentally until Emmett finally said, "Okay, you two, out! We want to play fair and square and that's _impossible_ with you two hovering. Get Bella something to eat."

"But I'm not hungry," I said.

We were interrupted by the telephone ringing. Edward and Alice left to see who could race to the kitchen first. Alice beat him and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she asked. "Oh, hi Charlie. Sure, she's right here."

She handed the phone to me. Charlie hadn't called much during the holiday. He just called on Christmas and a few days ago to tell me Merry Christmas and to know if I was having fun. I figured he just wanted to tell me "Happy New Year".

"Hey Dad, what's up?"

"Happy New Years Bell!" Yep, knew it. But he then said, "Good news, I'm coming home tonight! I'm on the road now and will get back later this evening. We got the guy who killed all of those people and he confessed. Would you like me to pick you up from the Cullen's house or do you want Edward to bring you home?"

"I'll have Edward bring me home," I answered. "Drive home safely and I'll see you tonight Dad. About what time will you be home?"

"Around seven-ish. Bye Bells," he said before I disconnected the call.

I replaced the phone on its cradle and said, "Charlie's coming home tonight, but I figured you had gathered that much. Can you drive me home tonight? I want to have a good dinner for him when he gets home."

"Of course," he answered. "Would you like to pack up your clothes and toiletries now or later?"

"Eh, might as well do it now so I'm not scrambling around later this afternoon," I answered as I turned to walk out of the kitchen.

Edward followed me out into the living room. Jasper and Emmett were still playing chess, but Alice had migrated to the couch, and Rosalie to the piano. From the looks of it, Jasper was winning; he still had his queen in his possession, Emmett did not. Emmett ran his fingers through his dark curls as he moved his knight to take Jasper's rook. I laughed softly under my breath but they heard me anyways. Emmett stuck his tongue out at me while Jasper grinned.

"Want help packing Bella?"

I turned to find Alice right behind me. I nodded and the three of us made our way upstairs. Alice helped me get my bathroom stuff together. Well, mostly she got it together. I held the bag while she blurred around the room. My toiletries were all packed within two minutes. We went to my temporary bedroom to find Edward zipping up the suitcase. I dropped my bag next to the suitcase and started downstairs.

"What would you like to do, Bella?" Alice asked. "You _must_ be bored, watching everyone else do something. We could take a hike, climb trees, watch a movie, play a game, whatever."

"You guys climb trees for fun?" I asked, a smile creeping up into my face. "Don't little kids do that for fun?"

"We're little kids at heart," Emmett said. "Well, figuratively speaking, anyways. And damn you, Jasper!"

Jasper had just declared check mate on Emmett's king and sat back with a satisfied smirk on his lips.

"Oh, come on Bella, it'll be fun," Alice said. "The scenery is so beautiful in the snow. We'll wrap you up nice and warm and Edward won't let you fall. Please, please, pleeeeease?"

I smiled and said, "Fine, if you stop begging."

Alice squeaked in thanks and darted from the room. She reappeared moments later with thick jackets, snow pants, a pair of snow boots, a hat, gloves, and heavy socks. She thrust all of this into my arms and I began dressing. The Cullens all disappeared from the room momentarily and reappeared in a few short minutes, all of them clad in more sturdy clothes, mostly sweatpants/sweatshirts. I finished dressing in what Alice had brought me.

"Ready Bella?" Edward asked, walking over to me. "I won't let you fall, I promise."

He hoisted me with ease onto his back and walked outside. The wind nipped at my nose, cheeks, and ears. It _was_ pretty out. The sun was actually shining for once and it sparkled on the snow and on everybody's skin. They all looked, if possible, even more beautiful when the sun shone on them. My eyes took seconds to adjust to the brightness. Edward walked up to a tree, as did the rest of his family. They all started climbing so fast they were almost a blur. The wind made my eyes water as Edward sprinted up his tree. The tree side was covered in snow, it was amazing he didn't slip.

"Are you alright, Bella?" I heard him murmur when he stopped moving.

I nodded and said, "The view is gorgeous. No wonder you chose a place like this. Wow!"

I could see pretty much all of Forks. The whole town was blanketed in a sheet of snow. The sun glinted off of everything, adding to the beauty. The trees all shimmered in the white crystals. Edward stood, perfectly balanced, on the tree limb and began to take me off of his back. I didn't struggle, trusting him completely, although my heart skipped a few beats. He smiled gently and situated me beside him. I clung to him, although the limb was wider that my feet. I put my gloved hand on the trunk of the tree and kept my other in Edward's hand. He kept his arm firmly around my midsection, apparently aware of my fright.

"You won't fall," he gently murmured.

I watched the rest of the Cullen situate themselves on their tree's limbs. Emmett was hopping from tree to tree. Snow fluttered to the ground as he did so. I heard his delighted laughter thunder through the forest as he whooped. I loved watching Emmett. He really _was_ a little kid and he was my big brother.

"Want to try?"

I spun around, startled, and nearly lost my footing. Edward caught me and balanced me quickly. I thanked him and asked, "What, tree-hop?"

"Sure, it's actually quite fun."

I shrugged and clambered onto his back again. He grinned and leapt from our tree to a smaller one about thirty yards away. I laughed despite the intense fear when I saw the ground flying by beneath us. Edward landed on the tree gracefully and began to climb higher still. I looked around wildly for the Cullens and saw them each on different trees several yards away from us. Alice was dancing from tree to tree, lithely landing and climbing each time. This was such an adrenaline rush, no wonder they enjoyed doing this.

"How are you doing back there?"

I grinned and said nothing. Edward must've either saw my grin or something, because he didn't get concerned.

We stayed out for what seemed like hours. We only went inside when I said I could no longer feel my fingers or toes. Edward wanted to examine them to make sure I didn't have frost bite, but I refused.

"Love, please, humor me," he begged, pleading in his molten eyes. "I don't want your limbs to turn black and fall off."

I finally let him examine my body. He was satisfied with his assessment, but advised me to take a warm shower anyways. I complied. By the time I got back down stairs, Carlisle and Esme had returned. I could smell pork cooking in the oven, along with sauerkraut. I could smell the potatoes boiling for mashed potatoes and I could heard the Cullens in the kitchen. I smiled as I began walking there, thinking that I'd miss all of their good food after I went back home to Charlie.

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**A/N 2:** There will probably only be one more chapter after this. Hope you're enjoying it!


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